Chelsea are on the verge of snapping up Pape Daouda Diongu from AF Darou Salam, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The midfielder, who turns 18 years old in June 2024, is expected to officially join Mauricio Pochettino’s side next summer.
Diongu was pictured in attendance at Stamford Bridge yesterday alongside soon-to-be Chelsea teammate Kendry Paez as Chelsea made it through to the semi-final of the Carabao Cup at the expense of Newcastle United.
Leading his side in tackles per game, the teenager was a key performer for the Senegal Under-17s as they claimed impressive group-stage victories over Argentina and Poland in November’s World Cup, before crashing out to eventual finalists France in the round of 16 on penalties where Diongu suffered the agony of missing the only spot-kick.
Diongu’s impending arrival is in keeping with Chelsea’s transfer strategy since their acquisition by the Todd-Boehly-led consortium just over 18 months ago during which they have recruited several young talents from around the world.
However, Chelsea could certainly do with some immediate first-team additions as highlighted by head coach Pochettino in the wake of a 2-0 defeat to Everton two Sundays ago.
The Blues currently sit 10th in the Premier League table with 22 points picked up from 17 matches so far, a whopping 12 points adrift of the top four heading into the festive schedule.
Nonetheless, Chelsea are enjoying a fine run of results of late and will be looking to make it three wins in a row across all competitions for only the second time this season when they visit the Molineux Stadium to face off against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve.
Chelsea then close out the year with clashes against Crystal Palace and Luton Town on the 27th and 30th of December respectively, before kicking off 2024 with an FA Cup tie against Championship side Preston North End.
